Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
Male Volunteers
Brief summary
Mounting evidence indicates that the intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin has prosocial effects. However, the neural substrates of these effects are still unclear. The investigators hypothesized that a single dose administration of oxytocin should increase empathogenic and affiliative responses and that these effects are mediated by an increased insula activity.
Interventions
DRUGOxytocin
24 IU; 3 puffs per nostril, each with 4 IU OXT
DRUGPlacebo
Sponsors
University Hospital, Bonn
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Healthy male volunteers * In a heterosexual relationship
Exclusion criteria
* Current or past psychiatric disease * Current or past physical illness * Psychoactive medication * Tobacco smokers
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Empathy ratings and their neural correlates | About one hour after the intranasal administration of oxytocin | All subjects are scanned while they view emotional and neutral faces and rate their empathy for these stimuli. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of pair-bonding | About one hour after the intranasal administration of oxytocin | All subjects are scanned while they view a picture of their mate and and an unknown female. |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed